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Certain physical factors may increase resistance to
bleaching caused by high sea surface temperatures (SSTs):
• COOLING: Oceanographic conditions that cause mixing
of heated surface waters with cooler deeper water can reduce
temperature stress.
• SHADING: High island shadow or overhanging vegetation
may reduce the harmful effects of sunlight.
• SCREENING: Suspended or dissolved matter reduces
sunlight penetration and may reduce bleaching.
• STRESS TOLERANCE: Coral communities that are exposed
to extreme conditions regularly are often populated by species
with a high tolerance for stress. Others do not survive.
Conditions only become stressful enough to cause bleaching
when they deviate significantly from normal ranges tolerated
by the species at its location.
• A coral at higher latitudes, for example, may be
acclimatized to much lower water temperatures than the same
coral species at the equator. A rise above its normal temperature
threshold would cause bleaching at temperatures easily tolerated
by the same species at the equator.
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(10.8 MB) |
| "Dr.
James Oliver of Worldfish has devoted his career
to coral reef conservation biology" |
| SOURCES |
|
Brown et al. 2002, Glynn 2001, Pecheux
1997, Salm et al. 2003, Salm and Coles 2001, Salm and
West 2003, West 2001, West and Salm 2003
|
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